Alternating-direct-current system of control.



No. 874,558. PATENTED' DEC. 24, 1907.

. H. L. BEACH. ALTBRNATING DIRECT CURRENT SYSTEM OF CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 3, 1906.

\NVENTOR ATTORNEY A To whom may camera:

n'nrrEn srArEs PATENT oEsroE,

HOWARD L. BEACH, OF WILKINsBUEe, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To WESTINGHOUSE ELEorRro "& MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

A rEnnAzrmG-nmiaor-cUnnEN'r SYSTEM OF common.

l Be it known that I, HOWARD BEACH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident i ofwwilkinsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Alternating- I f'Direct-Cur'rent Systems of Control, of which the following is a speeification. t

; My-inventlon relate's'to systems of control for electrical and other devices and particularly '.to systems that embody two or more'diflerent .supiply conductors, from yvhich eurrents of d1 ;are derived by means of suitable collecting- 15 d erent kinds or degrees vic One object of my inventionis to rovide systems, having separate current co lectors for thb respective currents, with means for governing the operation of such collectors.

-, Afu rt her object of my invention is ,to

provide means whereby the circuits of a-sys'-' tem of the character specified maybe ad I justed automatically, according to the Spaoific current collector in service; that is, inv

accordance with the character of energy supplied to the system. v ystems of distribution, from which-both direct and alternating currents may be'su .plied ,to railway-. vehicles, are; freque'nty provided with trolley conductors for the alternating current sections and third-rail conductors for thedirect current sections. When the systemsare so ar'ranged, an over headtrolley conductor may also be pro vided for directycurrent sections where breaks occur n ,the thlrd-rall', as,- for 1nstance, at road or rallway .crossmgs, and a special trolley collector may be employed to en age therewith'. I v v 1 s thespecific object of-my invention to provide means whereby both the alternating and the direct currentcollectorsmay be prevented from occupying operative or service positions at the same time, and to further 'soo'rganizie the system that a change-over switch, whereby the'control circuits may be arranged in accordance'wlth the character of energy that is supplied thereto, may be automatically operated to correspond to the positions ofthe current collectors The single figure of the accompanying 'drawisg illust atea; ia am a y sy t em a y .inyea d s; i I ,'lro lleV c orsilsnd heras r n. a

of the pantograph type and'e'specially con-r rammed Dec. 24, 1907.

structed for the collection of high voltage currents, are adapted to engage a trolley conductor 3 and comprise, as important elements, springs 4. or other resilient means whereby the collectors are normally raised into engagement with the conductor 3', and

plstons 5 and Gthat-operate in cylinders 7 and between which fluid-pressure may be" applied to effect lowering of thecollectors.

(Jatches or hooks 8, that are adapted to engage corresponding eyes or other arts 9 v of the trolleys, are normally retaine in the positions shown by means of springs l0 and may be operated to catch or release the parts 9 by means of fluid pressure exerted in cylinders 11 behind the istons 12..

: Direct current is normal y supplied to the system through a shoe 13 that engages a thirdrail 141, but at places where breaks occur in the. third-rail, as for instance at highway crossings, a trolley collector 15 may be employed .in connection with trolley conductor 16;. The trolley conductor 16 spans the breaks in'the third-rail, preferably at a lower elevation than the alternating current trolley conductor 3, and is provided with sloping approachesat its ends. The trolley 15 may .a

so be of thepantograph type and its structu'ral details'may be similar to those of the trolleys 1 and 2, except that it will usually be smaller in dimensions because it is used only intermittingly. It is normally maintained out of enga ement with the conductor 16 by means o springs 17 and is raised into engagement therewith by means of flu1dpressure in a cylinder 18 between pistons 19 and 20.

The cylinders- 7 and 18 communicatewith a common supply pipe 21 to which fluid-pres valve 22 that is adapted to be operated by a magnet Winding 23;, 'Energy may be supplied to the magnet winding 23 from any suitable source, such as a battery 24, and its spectively.

It will, of course, be understood that the change-over switch is adapted to arrange other circuits than those here indicated, in

accordancewith thecharacter of the energy thatis supplied to the system, it being usual sure is admitted under the regulation of a to interpose it either in the main motor circuits of an electrically-operated vehicle, or 1n the auxiliary-or control circuits, for the purpose of changing the circuit relations of the motors or of the armatures and field magnet windings thereof according to thestructural details thereof and the further arrangement of the circuits with reference thereto form no part of my present invention, I deem it unnecessary to further describe the same. I The changeover switch 25 is adapted to be operated by means of fiuid-pressure-actuat- 1ng devices 26 and 27, the supply of fluid to which may be governed by means of valves 28 and 29 that are controlled in their 'operation by means of magnet windings 30 and 31. A terminal of each of the magnet windings 30 and 31 is connected to the battery 24 and the remaining terminals are connected, re-

spectively, to stationary contact terminals. 32 and 33. The latter are adapted to be connected to other stationary contact ter 'minals 34 and 35, respectively, by means of conducting segments '36 and 37 with which The movable member of the change-over switch is provided. The conducting segments 36 and 37 are so constructed and disposed that the circuit of the winding 30 will einterrupted when the change-over switch 1s n one of its extreme positions and the circuit of the winding 31 will be interrupted when the switch is in its other extreme positlon, and also so that the circuit of the windmg which had not been previously energized to cause operation of the switch may become established by means of a relay switch 38, the upper and lower contact terminals 39 and 40 of which are connected, respectively, to contact terminals 34 and 35. The relay switch 38 is provided with an operating magnet winding 41 that is energized to eiiect operatlon of the switch to its uppermost osition only when the shoe 13 engages the thirdrail 14, orthe trolley 15 engages the conductor 16.

The supply of fluid-pressure to the cylinders 11 and to the operating cylinders for the change-over switch 25 is controlled by means of a valve 42, having an operating magnet Winding 43, the circult of which is governed by means of a normally open switch 44. It follows that operation of the catches 8 is governed by the switch 44 and that the changeover switch 25 may not be operated, even though the valves 28 and 29 are open, unless the switch 44 is closed for the purpose of effectin the opening of the valve 42.

Un er the conditions shown in the drawing, the circuits are arranged for alternating the valve 42.

erases most position, contact terminal 34, conductf ing segment 36, contact terminal 32 and magnet winding 30. The valve 28 opens to admitfiuid to the device 26 and the changeover switch-is moved to the position indicated by the broken lines DC 1 pon closure of the switch 44 and consequent opening of is moved, a circuit will be established through the operating magnet winding 23 for the valve 22 and fluid-pressure will be supplied to the cylinders 7. and 18 and cause lowering of the trolleys '1 and 2 and raising of trolley '15. When the trolleys 1 and-2 have been moved to their lowermost positions the catches 8 will be operated automatically and the trolleys will thus be retained in these positions. T hev system may then be supplied with direct current from either tne third-rail 14 or the trolley conductor 16 or from both of these'devices and the vehicle may operate in the direct current section of the distribut' m system regardless of gaps in the thirdrai The switch 44 being normally'open and the valve 42 normally closed, the supply of fluid-pressure to the operating device for the change-over switch is prevented, regardless of whether or not the circuits of the magnet windings 30 and 31 are energized, so that if theshoe 13 becomes momentarily disengaged from the third-rail 14, as often occurs during When the change-over switch,

operation, the change-over switch cannot be moved.

\Vhen the change-over switch occupies the position indicated by the broken lines DC and a vehicle which is equipped in accordance with my invention, passes from a direct current section to an alternating current section of the system, the swltch 38 moves to 7 its lowermost position and the circuit ofoperating magnet winding 31 for the valve 29 is established. Then, by closing the switch 44, the valve 42 will be caused to open and admit fluid-pressure to the device 27 which operates the change-over switch to the position shown. The circuit of magnet winding 23 is thereby interrupted to permit closure of the valve 22 and reduction of the fluidpressure within the cylinders 7 and 18 of the trolleys.

If the switch 44 is held closed or is closed again after the movement of the change-over switch, the valve 42'will open and fluid-pressure will be admitted tothe cylinders 11 to operate the catches and release the trolleys 1 and 2 which are thereupon raisedinto enerases gagement with the trolley conductor 3 by means of the springs 4.

While my invention is shown and described as applied to a system in which both alternating and direct currents are utilized, I desire it to be understood that'it is not necessarily limited to such systems, inasmuch as it ma T be utilized in systems having a plurality 0 supply circuits carrying currents of the same kind, either at the same or at difierent voltages.-

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with distributing conductors for direct and alternating current, respectively, a collector device for direct cur rent that is normally maintained out of engagement with the corresponding distributing conductor, and a collector device for alternating current that is normally maintained in engagement with the corresponding distributing conductor, of means for moving the collector devices into and out of cngagement with the respective conductors, a change-over switch having positions corre sponding to the difierent characters of energy, and means actuated thereby for controlling the operating means for the collector de vices.

2. The combination with distributing con ductors for direct and alternating current, respectively, a collector device for direct current that is normally maintained out of engagement with the corresponding distributing conductor, and a collector device for alternating current that is normally main tained' in engagement with the corresponding distributing conductor, of means for moving the direct current collector device into engagement with its conductor, similar means subjected to a like operating force for moving the alternating current collector device away from its conductor, a changeover'switch havin positions corresponding to the different characters of energy and means, dependent in operation upon the position'of one of the current collector devices, for governing the change-over switch.

'3. The combination with distributing conductors for direct and alternating current, respectively, a collector device for direct current that is normally maintained out of engagement with the corres onding distributing conductor, and a co lector device for alternating current that 'is normally maintained in engagement with the corresponding distributing conductor, of means for simultaneously moving the direct current collector device into engagement and the alternating current collector device out of engagement with their respective conductors, a change-over switch having positions corresponding to different characters of energy,

means, dependent in oper tion' upon the position the direct current collector de vices, for governing the change-. over'switch,-.-

and manually controlled means for further governmg the operation of the changeover switch.

In an electric railway system having alternating current and direct current supply conductors 'for different sections, the combination with a collector for each kind of current, a change-over switch and pneumatic means for operating the same,- of an automatic relay, swi and a manuallyoperated switch for said operating means.

In an electric railway system having alternating current and direct current sup' ply conductors for different sections, the combination wast. collector for each kind of current, pneumatically-actuated means for" controlling the operation of one or more of said collectors, a pneumatically-operated change-over switch, electromagnetically controlled valves, an automatic relay switch and a manually-operated switch for controlling the application of pneumatic pressure to said changeover switch.

6. In a railway system having alternating current and direct current supply cbnductors fordifierent sections, the combination with separate collectors for the diii'erent kinds oi current and means for operating said collectors inversely, of a change-over switch, means for operating said switch in accordance with the kind of current available and a manually-operated switch 'for opening and closing the governing circuit.

7. In an electric railway system having a plurality of supply conductors, the combina tion' with current collectors for the respective supply conductors} of a change-over switch, pneumatic means for actuating the same, an automatic relay switch and a non-automatic switch for governing said actuating means.

8. In an electric railway system, the combination with alternating current supply cohductors carrying difierent kinds of energy and se arate collector devices thereof, of means or holding one of said devices in engagement and the other out of engagement with thesupply conductor, means for oppo sitely actuating both of said devices, a change-over switch, an automatic relay and a manually operated switch for governing said change-over switch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of February 1906.

HOWARD L. BEACH.- Witnesses:

Tnos. S. HOWELL, BIRNEY HINEs.

its 

